How to Treat Yellow Leaves on an Avocado Tree

Farmers grow avocado trees across the Sun Belt for the harvest of their popular fruit. Large-scale avocado groves cover areas like Southern California, producing thousands of valuable avocados. Home growers also like to grow the trees to have fresh avocados available for salads, dips and snacks. Like any fruit tree, though, avocado trees have specific requirements. If these temperature and nutrition needs aren't being met, avocado trees might display symptoms of ill health, like yellowing leaves.

Things You'll Need

Pruning shears

Water

Iron supplement

Fertilizer

Diagnose your problem. Are the leaves of the lower branches of the tree getting yellow and dropping off? Are leaves all over the avocado tree growing yellow, while the veins and tips of the leaves stay green? Having specific details about your avocado tree will help you treat it correctly and efficiently.

Improve the growing conditions of your avocado tree for yellowing only on the lower branches. This is a sign of too much water and a lack of sunlight. Restrict watering to allow the soil around the tree to dry marginally. If you can move the tree to a sunnier location, do so. If you can't, consider pruning the vegetation around the tree to allow for more sun exposure.

Supplement the growing conditions of your avocado tree for yellowing across the entire tree. This is a sign of iron deficiency in the tree. Start fertilizing the tree with a 10-10-10 fertilizer, or purchase and use iron supplements. Always follow manufacturer directions when you're mixing and using fertilizers or supplements. Sprinkle the fertilizer or supplement into the soil around the tree, rather than onto the tree or its roots.

Tips & Warnings

To keep your avocado tree healthy, fertilize it every two weeks during spring and summer.

Avocado trees will be damaged in heavy frosts, so you should protect them.